Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 3–15 years from the vintage release, with the structure to age beautifully.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Grilled lobster with butter, roasted poultry, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Hailing from the legendary Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, situated at an extreme altitude of nearly 1,450 meters in the Uco Valley, the White Stones Chardonnay is a masterclass in high-altitude viticulture. The wine takes its name from a select parcel covered with oval, calcium carbonate-coated stones from an ancient riverbed. These white stones prevent deep root penetration, forcing the vines to struggle, while reflecting sunlight and retaining cool night temperatures. This unique terroir imparts a distinct, Chablis-like minerality and razor-sharp acidity to the wine. Fermented with wild yeasts in French oak barrels, it undergoes partial malolactic fermentation to balance its piercing freshness with a subtle, creamy texture. The result is a profound, mineral-driven white that redefined the potential for Argentine Chardonnay on the global stage.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, the historic Catena Zapata estate is located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, and remains family-owned under the visionary leadership of Nicolás Catena Zapata and his daughter Laura. Renowned for pioneering high-altitude viticulture in the Andean foothills, the winery revolutionized Argentine winemaking by proving that world-class, age-worthy wines could be produced from extreme mountain terroirs. Their production philosophy focuses on meticulous parcel selection and soil-specific micro-vinifications, particularly within the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard. Catena Zapata is celebrated globally for its profound, structured red wines, most notably its flagship Bordeaux-style blend, Nicolás Catena Zapata, and the highly expressive, mineral-driven Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec.